Google bags Job Simulator studio Owlchemy Labs in VR’s latest exit

Venture Beat

159 d ago

One of the most successful virtual reality game studios is now a part of one of the world’s biggest corporations.

that it has acquired , the studio that is best known for developing popular HTC Vive launch game Job Simulator. This acquisition gives Google a talented in-house team that can build content for its Daydream VR headsets that work with select Android smartphones. In its blog post announcing the deal to bring Owlchemy under the Google banner, Google VR engineering director Relja Markovic explained that the company’s existing content teams will partner with Owlchemy to build new experiences. Markovic also suggested that Owlchemy will continue working on other VR platforms like Vive, Oculus Rift, and more. The two parties did not disclose how much Google spent to acquire the studio.

Owlchemy has helped define VR for many people. Job Simulator is a game where you experience a museum of jobs through a series of silly interactions. The game also got a chance to prove itself to a mass audience when it appeared on the late-night program .

Owlchemy’s followup VR game, Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality debuted in April, and it presented players with a similar set of bizarre, interactive challenges.

“Today, we’re thrilled to welcome to Google,” wrote Markovic. “They’ve created award-winning games like and which have really thoughtful interactive experiences that are responsive, intuitive, and feel natural. They’ve helped set a high bar for what engagement can be like in virtual worlds, and do it all with a great sense of humor.”

In January, Owlchemy revealed that Job Simulator was a sales hit. Through 2016, it grossed more than $3 million in revenues. Since debuting in April for the Vive, it has since made the move to Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR. It was so popular that the studio even released a physical version of the game for Sony’s PS4 console.

This move is also indicative of Google’s commitment to VR and not just as a hardware or experiential exercise. Owlchemy is a game studio, and now Google can actively produce gaming content internally for head-mounted displays without having to necessarily work with outside partners.

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Google has acquired the VR game studio behind such popular gaming titles as Job Simulator and Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality. In a blog post, the founding team of the Austin-based Owlchemy Labs detailed that it has been acquired and will be joining the team at Google. Read More

It’s been a bittersweet two weeks for fans of enticing virtual reality content. Last week, Facebook shuttered its award-winning content creation team , Oculus Studios. This week, Google acquired the team behind Job Simulator and Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality.

If you’re a VR headset owner you win some, you lose some it seems.

Google made the announcement that it would acquire Owlchemy Labs today in a blog post ... right after it praised itself for its own excellent contributions to virtual reality like Photos on Daydream, Google Earth VR and Tilt Brush. (Really Google, Photos on Daydream is up there with Job Simulator?)

While the announcement began a bit self-congratulatory, it proceeded to lavish well-deserved praise on Owlchemy:

“They've created award-winning games like Job Simulator and Rick and Morty which have really thoughtful interactive experiences that are responsive, intuitive, and feel natural. They’ve helped set a high bar for what engagement can be like in virtual worlds, and do it all with a great sense of humor!”

Wubba Lubba Dub Dub

While neither Owlchemy or Google announced what’s coming next from the development studio, acquisitions such as these give developers the resources they need pursue bigger and better projects – sometimes in exchange for platform exclusivity. That said, Owlchemy might be different.

The post on Owlchemy Labs’ site that talks about the announcement specifically mentions that the developer will continue to create “high quality VR content for platforms like the HTC Vive, Oculus Touch, and PlayStation VR.” That means platform exclusivity isn’t something the team is beholden to. Or at least not beholden to yet, anyway.

What does the future hold for the studio? Well, One possibility could be a second experience set in the Rick and Morty universe – though Google will likely focus Owlchemy’s efforts on something more … family appropriate.

Job Simulator 2 or the next VR Adult Swim game might not replace a sequel to the heartfelt, Emmy award-winning Henry ... but it’s a nice consolation prize.

Going forward, Owlchemy said it plans to continue making "high-quality VR content" for PlayStation VR, Oculus Touch, and HTC Vive, though no specific projects were announced.

"This means continuing to focus on hand interactions and high quality user experiences, like with Job Simulator," Owlchemy said. "This means continuing our mission to build VR for everyone, and doing all of this as the same silly Owlchemy Labs you know and love. We are continuing to do all of this with even more support and focus on building awesome stuff. It's incredibly exciting that Google and Owlchemy are so well aligned on our goals and vision for the future of VR."

Owlchemy was founded in 2010 as a team of four, and is now staffed up with 23 people. The studio's breakout hit was Job Simulator, a game that the studio said is anything but a "safe bet."

"We ignored the cries of 'But VR died in the 90s!' and we instead spent over a year envisioning what was possible with a tracked head and hands," Owlchemy said. "After a ton of experimenting and prototyping, we emerged with Job Simulator as a day one launch title for HTC Vive, Oculus + Touch, and PlayStation VR."

In its own blog post , Google said it will be working with Owlchemy to develop "engaging, immersive games and developing new interaction models across many different platforms to continue bringing the best VR experiences to life. There is so much more to build and learn, so stay tuned!"

Some of Owlchemy Labs' other titles include Jack Lumber and Dyscourse .

Developer Owlchemy Labs announced today that it has been acquired by Google.

With six years in the industry the small development team found its niche with VR starting with the original Oculus Rift development kit, leading to popular titles such as Job Simulator and, more recently, the Rick and Morty VR game.

Olwchemy Labs stated that, "We both believe that VR is the most accessible computing platform and that there’s a ton of work to be done, especially with regards to natural and intuitive interactions. Together with Google, with which we share an incredible overlap in vision, we’re free to pursue raw creation and sprint toward interesting problems in these early days of VR."

Google is pushing forward with its bet on VR entertainment with its latest acquisition: indie VR studio Owlchemy Labs. The Austin, Texas-based team of 23 made a name for itself with numerous successful VR games, including Job Simulator, Caaaaardboard!, and Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Google said in a blog post that the newly acquired company will “create engaging, immersive games and developing new interaction models across many different platforms to continue bringing the best VR experiences to life.” It’ll be interesting to see what Owlchemy comes up with, now that it…This story continues at The Next WebOr just read more coverage about: Google

In case you needed more proof that Google is serious about virtual reality, here's a bit of news for you: The Mountain View company has acquired Owlchemy, as announced by both companies on their respective blogs.

Owlchemy has been around for six years, and in that time it launched several notable VR games, including Job Simulator (the game that HTC used for its Vive demos) and, more recently, Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality which is available for HTC Vive as well as Oculus.

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The company said in a post it will "continue building high quality VR content for platforms like the HTC Vive, Oculus Touch, and PlayStation VR." Read more...

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